List of alchemical substances
Alchemical studies produced a number of substances, which were later classified as particular chemical compounds or mixtures of compounds. Many of these terms were in common use into the 20th century. * Aqua Fortis - nitric acid, can be formed by 2 parts saltpetre in 1 part (pure) oil of vitrol(sulfuric acid). (Historically, this process could not have been used, as 98% oil of vitrol was not available) * Aqua Ragia/Spirit of turpentine/Oil of turpentine/Gum turpentine - turpentine, formed by the distillation of pine tree resin. * Aqua Regia (Latin: "royal water") - a mixture of aqua fortis and spirit of salt. * Aqua Tofani - arsenic trioxide. Extremely poisonous. * Aqua Vitae/Spirit of Wine - ethanol, formed by distilling wine * Auric Hydroxide - formed by precipitation by potash from gold dissolved in aqua regia. * Bismuth (German: Wismuth) * Blende * Blue Vitriol/Bluestone - A mineral; copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate. * Brimstone - sulfur. :* Flowers of sulfur - formed by distilling sulfur. * Butter (or oil) of antimony - antimony trichloride. Formed by distilling roasted stibnite with corrosive sublimate, or dissolving stibnite in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling. * Cadmia/Tuttia/Tutty - probably zinc carbonate. * Calamine - zinc carbonate. * Calomel/horn quicksilver/horn mercury - mercury(I) chloride, a very poisonous purgative formed by subliming a mixture of mercuric chloride and metallic mercury, triturated in a mortar and heated in an iron pot. The crust formed on the lid was ground to powder and boiled with water to remove the calomel. * Caustic potash/Caustic Wood Alkali - potassium hydroxide, formed by adding lime to potash. * Caustic Soda/Caustic Marine Alkali - sodium hydroxide, formed by adding lime to natron. * Caustic Volatile Alkali - ammonium hydroxide. * Chalk - a rock composed of porous biogenic calcium carbonate. * Chrome green - chromic oxide and cobalt oxide. * Chrome orange - chrome yellow and chrome red. * Chrome red - basic lead chromate - PbCrO4+PbO. * Chrome yellow/Paris Yellow/Leipzig Yellow - lead chromate - PbCrO4. * Cinnabar/Vermilion - refers to several substances, among them: mercury(II) sulfide (HgS), or native vermilion (the common ore of mercury). * Copper glance - copper(I) sulfide ore. * Corrosive sublimate - mercuric chloride, formed by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt and nitre. * Cuprite - copper(I) oxide ore. * Dutch White - a pigment, formed from one part of white lead to three of barium sulfate. * Flowers of antimony - antimony trioxide, formed by roasting stibnite at high temperature and condensing the white fumes that form. * Fool's gold - a mineral; iron disulfide or pyrite, can form oil of vitriol on contact with water and air. * Fulminating silver - silver nitride, formed by dissolving silver(I) oxide in ammonia. Very explosive when dry. * Fulminating gold - gold hydrazide, formed by adding ammonia to the auric hydroxide. When dry, can explode on concussion. * Galena - lead(II) sulfide. Lead ore. * Glass of Antimony - impure antimony tetroxide, formed by roasting stibnite. A yellow pigment for glass and porcelain. * Glauber's Salt - sodium sulfate. * Green Vitriol - a mineral; iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate. (or ferrous sulfate) :* Marcasite - a mineral; iron disulfide. In moist air it turns into green vitriol. :* Rouge/Crocus/Colcothar - ferric oxide, formed by burning green vitriol in air. * Gum Arabic - gum from the Acacia tree. * Gypsum - a mineral; calcium sulfate. * Horn silver/Argentum Cornu - a weathered form of chlorargyrite, an ore of silver chloride. :* Luna cornea - silver chloride, formed by heating horn silver till it liquifies and then cooling. * King's Yellow - formed by mixing orpiment with white arsenic. * Lapis solaris (Bologna stone) - barium sulfide - 1603, Vincenzo Cascariolo * Lead fume - lead oxide, found in flues at lead smelters. * Lime/Quicklime (Burnt Lime)/Calx Viva/Unslaked Lime - calcium oxide, formed by calcining limestone. :* Slaked Lime - calcium hydroxide. * Liver of sulfur - formed by fusing potash and sulfur. * Lunar caustic/lapis infernalis - silver nitrate, formed by dissolving silver in aqua fortis and evaporating. * Lye - potash in a water solution, formed by leaching wood ashes. :* Potash/Salt of tartar - potassium carbonate, formed by evaporating lye. :* Pearlash - formed by baking potash in a kiln. * Massicot - lead monoxide. :* Litharge - lead monoxide, formed by fusing and powdering massicot. :* Minium/Red Lead - trilead tetroxide, formed by roasting litharge in air. :* Naples yellow/Cassel yellow - oxychloride of lead, formed by heating litharge with sal ammoniac. * Mercurius praecipitatus - red mercuric oxide. * Milk of Sulfur (lac sulphuris) - formed by adding an acid to thion hudor (lime sulfur). * Mosaic Gold - stannic sulfide, formed by heating a mixture of tin filings, sulfur and sal-ammoniac. * Natron - sodium carbonate. * Nitrum Flammans - ammonium nitrate. * Oil of Vitriol/Spirit of Vitriol - sulfuric acid, a weak version can be formed by heating green vitriol and blue vitriol. * Orpiment - arsenic trisulfide, an ore of arsenic. * Pearl white - bismuth nitrate. * Philosophers' Wool/nix alba (white snow)/Zinc White - zinc oxide, formed by burning zinc in air, used as a pigment. * Plumbago - a mineral; graphite, not discovered in pure form until 1564. * Powder of Algaroth - antimonious oxychloride, formed by precipitation when a solution of butter of antimony and spirit of salt is poured into water. * Purple of Cassius - formed by precipitating a mixture of gold, stannous and stannic chlorides, with alkali. Used for glass coloring. * Realgar - arsenic disulfide, an ore of arsenic. * Regulus of antimony * Resin of copper - copper(I) chloride (cuprous chloride), formed by heating copper with corrosive sublimate. * Sal Ammoniac - ammonium chloride. * Sal Petrae (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/Salt of Petra/Saltpetre/Nitrate of potash - potassium nitrate, typically mined from covered dungheaps. * Salt/Common salt - A mineral; sodium chloride, formed by evaporating seawater (impure form). * Soda/Soda Ash - sodium carbonate. * Spirit of box/Pyroxylic Spirit - distillation of wood alcohol. * Spirit of Hartshorn - ammonia, formed by the decomposition of sal-ammoniac by unslaked lime. * Salt of Hartshorn/Sal Volatile - ammonium carbonate formed by distilling bones and horns. * Spirit of salt/Acidum Salis - the liquid form of hydrochloric acid (also called muriatic acid), formed by mixing common salt with oil of vitriol. :* Marine Acid Air - gaseous form of hydrochloric acid. * Spiritus fumans - stannic chloride, formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate. :* Tin salt - hydrated stannous chloride. :* Butter of Tin - hydrated tin(IV) chloride. * Stibnite - antimony or antimony trisulfide, ore of antimony. * Sugar of Lead - lead acetate, formed by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar. * Sweet Vitriol- diethyl ether. * Thion Hudor - lime sulfur, formed by boiling flowers of sulfur with slaked lime. * Turpeth mineral - hydrolysed form of mercury(II) sulfate. * Verdigris - copper(II) carbonate or (more recently) copper(II) acetate. The carbonate is formed by weathering copper. The acetate is formed by vinegar acting on copper. One version was used as a green pigment. * White arsenic - arsenious oxide, formed by subliminating arsenical soot from the roasting ovens. * White lead- lead carbonate, a toxic pigment, produced by corroding stacks of lead plates with dilute vinegar beneath a heap of moistened wood shavings. (replaced by blanc fixe & lithopone) * White vitriol - zinc sulfate, formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende. * Venetian White - formed from equal parts of white lead and barium sulfate. * Zaffre - impure cobalt arsenate, formed after roasting cobalt ore. * Zinc Blende - zinc sulfide. Alchemical substances * Alchemical processes